Putin Accuses U.S. of Stoking Conflict in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused the U.S. of trying to stoke conflict in Ukraine and continued to insist that his government does not have any intention of invading its neighbor.

Putin claimed the United States’s “most important task is to contain Russia’s development.”

“Ukraine is just an instrument of achieving this goal,” he added. “It can be done in different ways, such as pulling us into some armed conflict and then forcing their allies in Europe to enact those harsh sanctions against us that are being discussed today in the United States.”

Putin said Tuesday that the West had not yet met Russia’s demands for a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe but was hopeful that “dialogue will be continued.”